Device and method for acquiring actual deceleration, deterioration discrimination, and brake control

Abstract

An actual deceleration acquiring device includes a speed acquirer and a determiner. The speed acquirer acquires a speed of a railway vehicle for a subject period while the railway vehicle is being decelerated by not an electric braking force but a mechanical braking force alone among the mechanical braking force and the electric braking force. The railway vehicle is configured to be decelerated by at least either of the electric braking force and the mechanical braking force. The determiner determines, based on a variation in the speed acquired by the speed acquirer, an actual deceleration of the railway vehicle in the subject period.

1 . An actual deceleration acquiring device, comprising:
 speed acquiring circuitry to acquire, for a subject period, a speed of a railway vehicle that is accelerated by a driving force received from a motor rotating in response to fed electric power and is decelerated by at least either of a mechanical braking force or an electric braking force, while the railway vehicle is being decelerated by not the electric braking force but the mechanical braking force alone among the mechanical braking force and the electric braking force, the mechanical braking force being generated by a mechanical brake device, the electric braking force resulting from consumption of electric power output from a power conversion circuit configured to convert electric power fed by the motor serving as an electric generator and output the converted electric power;   determining circuitry to determine, based on a variation in the speed acquired by the speed acquiring circuitry, an actual deceleration of the railway vehicle in the subject period; and   switching circuitry to stop, in response to satisfaction of an initiation condition for initiating a process of acquiring an actual deceleration, power conversion of the power conversion circuit when an operation command of the railway vehicle contains a braking command for instructing the railway vehicle to decelerate, wherein   the speed acquiring circuitry acquires the speed of the railway vehicle for the subject period after the switching circuitry stops the power conversion of the power conversions circuit.   
     
     
         2 - 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The actual deceleration acquiring device according to  claim 1 , wherein the switching circuitry stops the power conversion of the power conversion circuit in accordance with a place where the railway vehicle is running. 
     
     
         5 . The actual deceleration acquiring device according to  claim 1 , wherein the speed acquiring circuitry acquires the speed of the railway vehicle for the subject period while the railway vehicle is being decelerated by the mechanical braking force alone in accordance with a target deceleration indicated by ti braking command, the target deceleration being deemed to be constant in the subject period. 
     
     
         6 . The actual deceleration acquiring device according to  claim 1 , wherein the subject period is a period from arrival of the railway vehicle at a predetermined position until stop of the railway vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The actual deceleration acquiring device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 deceleration adjusting circuitry to adjust, in accordance with an inclination of a place where the railway vehicle is running in the subject period, the actual deceleration determined by the determining circuitry.   
     
     
         8 . A deterioration evaluating device, comprising:
 the actual deceleration acquiring device according to  claim 1 ; and   evaluating circuitry
 to acquire, from the determining circuitry of the actual deceleration acquiring device, the actual deceleration determined by the determining circuitry, and 
 to evaluate, based on the acquired actual deceleration, a level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device. 
   
     
     
         9 . A deterioration evaluating device, comprising:
 the actual deceleration acquiring device according to claim  7 ; and   evaluating circuitry
 to acquire, from the deceleration adjusting circuitry of the actual deceleration acquiring device, the actual deceleration adjusted by the deceleration adjusting circuitry, and 
 to evaluate, based on the acquired actual deceleration, a level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device. 
   
     
     
         10 . The deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 8 , wherein the evaluating circuitry evaluates, based on a comparison between the acquired actual deceleration and a target deceleration, the level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device, the target deceleration being indicated by the braking command. 
     
     
         11 . The deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 10 , wherein the evaluating circuitry evaluates, based on whether a ratio of a difference between the acquired actual deceleration and the target deceleration to the target deceleration is within a target range, the level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device. 
     
     
         12 . The deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 8 , wherein the evaluating circuitry
 determines an average of acquired actual decelerations, and   evaluates, based on whether a ratio of a difference between the average and a target deceleration to the target deceleration is within a target range, the level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device, the target deceleration being indicated by the braking command.   
     
     
         13 . deterioration evaluating device, comprising:
 speed acquiring circuitry to acquire, for a subject period, a speed of a railway vehicle that is accelerated by a driving force received from a motor rotating in response to fed electric power and is decelerated by at least either of a mechanical braking force or an electric braking force, while the railway vehicle ius being decelerated by not the electric braking force but the mechanical braking force alone among the mechanical braking force and the electric braking force, the mechanical braking force being generated by a mechanical brake device, the electric braking force resulting from consumption of electric power generated by the motor serving as an electric generator;   determining circuitry to determine, based on a variation in the speed acquired by the speed acquiring circuitry, an actual deceleration of the railway vehicle in the subject period; and   evaluating circuitry to evaluate, based on the actual deceleration determined by the determining circuitry, a level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device, wherein the evaluating circuitry   acquires another actual deceleration of another railway vehicle determined by the determining circuitry of another actual deceleration acquiring device configured to determine an actual deceleration of the other railway vehicle, and   evaluates, based on a comparison between the actual deceleration of the railway vehicle acquired from the determining circuitry and the other actual deceleration of the other railway vehicle acquired from the determining circuitry of the other actual deceleration acquiring device, the level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device.   
     
     
         14 . A brake control apparatus, comprising:
 the deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 8 ; and   brake controlling circuitry to control the mechanical brake device and a power conversion circuit controlling circuitry in accordance with a target deceleration indicated by the braking command and in accordance with a result of evaluation by the deterioration evaluating device, the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry being configured to control the power conversion circuit.   
     
     
         15 . A brake control apparatus, comprising:
 the deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 8 ;   brake controlling circuitry to control the mechanical brake device and power conversion circuit controlling circuitry in accordance with a target deceleration indicated by the braking command and in accordance with a result of evaluation by the deterioration evaluating device, the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry being configured to control the power conversion circuit;   target braking force determining circuitry to determine a target braking force in accordance with the target deceleration;   braking force adjusting circuitry to adjust the target braking force in accordance with the result of evaluation by the deterioration evaluating device;   a regeneration controlling circuitry
 to determine a target electric braking force in accordance with the target braking force adjusted by the braking force adjusting circuitry, and 
 to output a regeneration pattern indicating the target electric braking force to the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry; and 
   mechanical brake controlling circuitry
 to acquire a regeneration feedback indicating an actual electric braking force from the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry, 
 to determine a target mechanical braking force, based on the target braking force adjusted by the braking force adjusting circuitry and the actual electric braking force, and 
 to control the mechanical brake device in accordance with the target mechanical braking force. 
   
     
     
         16 . A brake control apparatus, comprising:
 the deterioration evaluating device according to  claim 8 ;   brake controlling circuitry to control the mechanical brake device and power conversion circuit controlling circuitry in accordance with a target deceleration indicated by the braking command and in accordance with a result of evaluation by the deterioration evaluating device, the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry being configured to control the power conversion circuit;   target braking force determining circuitry to determine a target braking force in accordance with the target deceleration;   regeneration controlling circuitry
 to determine a target electric braking force in accordance with the target braking force, and 
 to output a regeneration pattern indicating the target electric braking force to the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry; 
   braking force adjusting circuitry to adjust the target braking force in accordance with the result of evaluation by the deterioration evaluating device; and   mechanical brake controlling circuitry
 to acquire a regeneration feedback indicating an actual electric braking force from the power conversion circuit controlling circuitry, 
 to determine a target mechanical braking force, based on the target braking force adjusted by the braking force adjusting circuitry and the actual electric braking force, when the actual electric braking force is smaller than the target braking force determined by the target braking force determining circuitry, and 
 to control the mechanical brake device in accordance with the target mechanical braking force. 
   
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 acquiring, for a subject period, a speed of a railway vehicle that is accelerated by a driving force received from a motor rotating in response to fed electric power and is decelerated by at least either of a mechanical braking force or an electric braking force, while the railway vehicle is being decelerated by not the electric braking force but the mechanical braking force alone among the mechanical braking force and the electric braking force, the mechanical braking force being generated by a mechanical brake device, the electric braking force resulting from consumption of electric power output from a power conversion circuit configured to convert electric power fed by the motor serving as an electric generator and output the converted electric power;   determining, based on a variation in the acquired speed, an actual deceleration of the railway vehicle in the subject period; and   stopping, in response to satisfaction of an initiation condition for initiating a process of acquiring an actual deceleration, power conversion of the power conversion circuit when an operation command of the railway vehicle contains a braking command for instructing the railway vehicle to decelerate, wherein   the speed of the railway vehicle for the subject period is acquired after stopping the power conversion of the power conversion circuit.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17  further comprising:
 evaluating, based on the determined actual deceleration, a level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
 controlling, in accordance with a target deceleration and the evaluated level of deterioration of the mechanical brake device, the mechanical brake device and the power conversion circuit, the target deceleration being indicated by the braking command.